


And the butterflies that burst from your fingertips

by Thunderfire69



Series: Post-Endgame [4]
Category: Avengers: Endgame - Fandom, Doctor Strange - Fandom, Iron Man - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Tony Stark, Butterflies, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon? What’s That?, Carol Danvers & Peter Parker friendship, Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies, Fight Scenes, Fuck Canon, Gen, Getting Together, Hurt Stephen Strange, LGBT Themes, M/M, Magical Diseases, Marvel Science, Marvel Universe, Natasha is Stressed, Not Canon Compliant, Oblivious Stephen Strange, POV Stephen Strange, Pansexual Stephen Strange, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Shuri Friendship, Pining, Plot, Post-Endgame, Precious Peter Parker, Slow Burn, Stephen Strange Needs a Hug, Superfamily (Marvel), The very undefeatable Mordo, Thor & Carol Danvers friendship, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Wong is a Good Bro (Marvel), Wong is sick of Stephen’s shit, Wong likes Beyoncé, Wong’s a little shit, argument, established relationships - Freeform, injuries, oblivious idiots, so much plot, theyre so bad at working their shit out, too much plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-03-09 21:05:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18925006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderfire69/pseuds/Thunderfire69
Summary: Title is the line “and that pollen that fell from her fingertips” from the song Epic 3 in Hadestown with just a few words changedButterflies begin to burst from Stephen’s fingertips. They seem harmless, but are they?As he struggles to find out what these butterflies mean, the Avengers struggle to find a way to fight and defeat Mordo.





	1. One: The Mordo Problem

 

“So he’s a threat?”

 

Stephen hesitated at the tone of Natasha’s voice. “Well…”

 

“You _knew_ there was a rogue sorcerer out there and you didn’t tell us!”

 

“Calm down there, Nat,” Tony said, stepping forward with a hand stretched towards her in a gesture that clearly told her to be quiet. “Strange here would have had his reasons, right?”

 

“What reasons?” Bruce asked, sounding slightly angry, but Stephen realised he just didn’t like surprises and not knowing when a fight might be coming.

 

“He was my friend,” Stephen said, almost instantly. “I didn’t… want to believe he would do something like this.”

 

“But he has, and he _is_ ,” Clint chimed in, but it wasn’t in a mean way.

 

“Well, we know now,” Tony said, stepping forwards once again. “So let’s stop getting all angry at Stephen and worry about what we’re going to do about this threat.”

 

Stephen felt a rush of gratitude towards Tony, along with a sudden surge of affection that made him want to rush forward and give the shorter man a hug, but he didn’t, managing to control himself. “You’ll definitely need my help in this. He’s powerful.”

 

“And we’re not?” Carol stepped forward, her gaze alight with fiery anger. Stephen met her gaze calmly.

 

“He _takes_ the powers of others. There are only certain spells to stop him, and none of you possess the knowledge to cast them.”

 

“Perhaps a plan is in order?” came the voice of Thor from where he was standing in the far corner of the room.

 

“What Point Break said,” Tony agreed with a small nod. “Strange can give us some more insight into this “Mordo” guy and we can all think of a game plan. Preferably one that involves Peter keeping out of trouble.”

 

“Hey! I’m not useless!”

 

“Tony’s right,” Stephen broke in, looking over at the kid. “It’s too dangerous. He’d knock you out with one blow, and you might never wake up.”

 

Peter’s eyes grew wide. “On second thoughts-”

 

“Strange.” Tony beckoned Stephen over to him, and he took the few steps across the room to his side, ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat at being so close to Tony; this really wasn’t the time.

 

“Yes, Stark?” Stephen replied coolly; if Tony was going to use his surname, then Stephen would use his.

 

“Can you identify the spells he casts from surveillance footage?”

 

“Possibly,” Stephen replied carefully. “Why?”

 

In response, Tony lifted his Starkpad- on it sat a video, one Tony had obviously hacked from surveillance cameras in the last place Mordo had been spotted. As Stephen watched, Mordo approached a man, a man who must have been a sorcerer too. Mordo began to perform a spell, and seconds later, the man’s magic was being absorbed by him.

 

Stephen took a sharp breath in. “A magic vacuum.”

 

“What, like a magical Roomba?”

 

“No. It’s a spell that sucks all the magic out of someone. The spell’s caster consumes their magic. Makes them grow stronger.” Stephen leaned back slightly, letting out a small sigh. “He’s more powerful than I thought. Even _I_ wouldn’t attempt such a spell.”

 

Tony let out what was possibly the world’s largest sigh. “How do we stop him then, Dumbledore?”

 

“I’m not completely certain,” Stephen began, ignoring the groan Tony let out at his words, “But I can search through the books we have at the Sanctum, and check the ones at Kamar Taj for the right spells.”

 

“We need a solution _now_ ,” Nat cut in from her place across the room, and Stephen glared at her.

 

“I don’t _know_ the spells. There’s not much I can do to change that. I’ve got to find the spells and learn them, which could take at least a week.”

 

Tony let out another groan of annoyance. “Look, wizard, you’re pretty cool, but you _really_ need to be more prepared for this kind of stuff.”

 

“I’m sorry if I didn’t expect one of my friends to go rogue,” Stephen spat, feeling anger start to rise in him. “And I’m sorry for _trying_ to help!”

 

“Guys,” came Bruce’s calming tone from where he stood with Thor. “Calm it.”

 

“Bruce is right,” Clint said, from where he was leaning casually against the wall. “We’ve all had times where we have to learn more before we can defeat a threat, right? Just think of Thanos.”

 

“Alright, you win,” Tony grumbled, before turning back to Stephen. “You’ll want to get started soon. We don’t have time to waste.”

 

Stephen’s gaze softened slightly. “I get that you’re all stressed about this. I’ll find the spells, I promise.”

 

“Thank you,” Tony replied, seeming to have softened too.

 

Stephen gave him a small smile before lifting his hands to make the circular motions required to open a portal. It popped up between him and Tony, but he didn’t let himself try to say goodbye before he stepped through.

 

The Sanctum stretched out before him, passages in so many different directions, but he strode directly towards the library, ignoring the temptations to explore elsewhere in the Sanctum. In the library, he began to collect books that could have the spells he needed, reading way into the night with no success.

 

Wong came and went, checking in on the library and Stephen, sometimes offering a book he thought might be helpful. Day bled into night, physical form into astral form, and still Stephen was reading, studying, searching.

 

Eventually, he set the books aside, exhausted, and left the library to make his way to his room. He collapsed onto his bed, so, so tired but still not knowing the answer. He resolved to check the books at Kamar Taj in the morning, and let his eyes slipped closed. It was after he’d fallen asleep that it happened.

 

A single, blue butterfly erupted from his fingertips. It fluttered around the room for a few moments before finding the window was open a crack, and it flew out into the night, off in the direction of the Compound.

 


	2. Two: Some sleep is in order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen’s made little progress, Nat’s stressed, Peter and Carol play Mario Kart and Tony insists that Stephen gets some sleep.

He was exhausted when he staggered into the Compound three days later, the portal he’d opened barely holding long enough for him to step through. Tony, Nat and Clint leaped to their feet immediately, but Tony was the only one who rushed forward to offer him some support. His tired, tired brain managed to register the affection he again felt towards the man before he wrestled it back onto task.

 

“Did you find it?” Natasha demanded urgently, and Clint leaned in slightly too.

 

“I’ve found some spells that may help, but Kamar Taj has an even vaster library than the New York Sanctum. I’ve barely even begun to get though the books that could hold such a spell.” His voice betrayed his tiredness more than he would have liked, and Tony fixed him with a concerned gaze.

 

“You should get some rest. There’s no point in you knowing the spell if you’re too weak to cast it.”

 

“I’m fine,” Stephen said wearily, swatting at a butterfly that flew past. Wait- a  _ butterfly _ ?

 

As he watched, the butterfly, which was an unusual colour (bright blue), fluttered about the room as if in a panic. After a few moments, it seemed to calm, flying over to land on Tony’s shoulder.

 

“You’ve got a new friend, Stark,” he remarked dryly, gesturing to the butterfly. Tony glanced over at it without much surprise.

 

“It’s been following me around since late last night. It won’t leave me alone. I’m worried it’s something to do with Mordo.”

 

“You think he’s put a tracking spell in that butterfly, or something?” Carol asked without looking up from the game of Mario Kart she and Peter were playing; probably because she was winning.

 

“Or something,” Tony replied, glancing at the butterfly again. Stephen made the usual motions for casting a simple spell, one that revealed magical signatures. It was with a shock that he found the butterfly  _ did  _ have a magical signature, but not the one he, or Tony, would have expected.

 

“It does have a magical signature,” Stephen said slowly. “But it isn’t a tracking spell, or anything like that. It’s… emitting the same signature that’s given off by basic protection and shielding spells.”

 

“Meaning?” Tony asked, looking confused for once.

 

“It’s magical signature is love.”

 

Tony looked like he was about to reply, but was cut off by a loud whoop from Carol, followed by an even louder “NOOOOOO” from Peter as the kid lost the race. Natasha shot them a glare, and Carol glared back while Peter sunk down lower on the couch, as if trying to hide.

 

“You were saying about the spells? To use against Mordo?” Clint prompted, trying to steer them back to the conversation.

 

“Ah, yes.” Stephen was glad for the change in conversation, worried Tony would ask him questions about the butterfly that he could not answer. He wished he had the time to study it properly, but he needed to deal with Mordo first. “As I was saying, I’ve barely begun to even scratch the surface of the knowledge stored at Kamar Taj. I don’t know how long it could take to find a truly effective spell to stop Mordo.”

 

“Then why are you here, and not looking through those books?” Natasha snapped, and Tony sent her a warning glare.

 

“Look, I get that you’re stressed about another bad guy to face,” he said slowly, “But Stephen needs to rest.”

 

Stephen gave Tony a grateful look. “I’ll be searching those books again tomorrow,” he promised and Nat looked somewhat calmed by this.

 

“So long as you’re rested up by then,” Tony said warningly, giving Natasha a look that seemed to dare her to argue with him.

 

“I will be,” Stephen said, glaring at him pointedly. Tony waved him off. 

 

“You know where the guest rooms are, Strange. Go make use of one.”

 

Stephen gave him a small, crooked grin. “Sure thing, Stark.”

 

He gave Tony a mock salute as he turned to leave the room, and Peter dropped his game controller onto the ground and leapt to his feet. He practically ran across the room, leaping into the air a couple of times.

 

“I won! I finally beat her!” 

 

“Good for you, kid,” Tony told him with a smile, and Stephen found himself smiling at the kid too.

 

“Guess Carol finally found her match,” he commented, and Tony picked up the closest thing to him, which happened to be a pen, and threw it at Stephen’s head.

 

“Go get some rest!”

 

“Alright! Alright!” Stephen raised his hands in surrender, a larger smile on his face now as he backed out of the room. Tony threw another object at him, this time a box of tissues, and Stephen ducked to avoid it smacking into his forehead.

 

He made his way down the hallway to where he knew Tony’s forty or so guest rooms were, and picked one of them, not really caring which it was, knowing they were all just as extravagant as the others. Once inside, the cloak threw itself off of his shoulders to settle down on the end of the bed.

 

Stephen gave it a pointed look. “So that’s how it is, is it?”

 

The cloak, of course, did not reply, but Stephen swore it shook a little, as if laughing at him. He just politely flipped it off, which the cloak chose to ignore. Then he magicked himself out his robes and into some more comfortable, casual clothes. He usually slept in a shirt and pants, finding it better than any pyjamas he’d ever tried.

 

He climbed into the bed, letting out a small groan at how soft it was compared to his usual bed at the Sanctum, and settled down with a sigh of happiness. He really  _ was  _ tired, and some sleep would help him if he wanted to find that spell.

 

His eyes were beginning to slip closed when he felt a tingle in his right hand. Confused, he sat up, lifting his hand up to eye level just in time to see a golden butterfly burst free, flutter around the room before it slipped through the crack under the door and disappeared.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot is slowly creeping in lmao


	3. Three: A visit to Wong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen goes to ask Wong about the butterflies, and what it could mean. They end up discussing some things about Mordo before Stephen actually gets to the point.

“Another one?” Stephen’s eye’s followed the small green butterfly that had just burst from his fingers as it fluttered around the room; with a sigh, he stood up to open the door and let it out. He didn’t know where they were going, but he knew it couldn’t hurt to let them go where they pleased.

 

He knew that Tony wouldn’t want him to start searching for answers again, not after he’d nearly burnt himself out over the last couple of days, but he couldn’t just sit here. He knew the answer was out there; perhaps even in the same books that talked about vacuum spells.

 

He began to go through the motions of opening a portal to the Sanctum, and frowned when the portal took longer than usual to appear. On top of that, it was flickering slightly, as if it could disappear any second. With a slightly concerned shrug, Stephen stepped through the portal; it wasn’t even a second after he was through that the portal snapped shut.

 

He stared back at the place it had been, wide-eyed, aware of how close it had been to slicing him in half. Another butterfly, this time a bright, unnatural red, burst from his fingertips, flapping around the room before it seemed to find an exit.

 

Stephen stared after it in concern. Maybe those butterflies  _ weren’t  _ as harmless as they appeared. Were they hindering his magic? 

 

He needed to talk to Wong about this. Ask him what was going on. He couldn’t just leave it be and hope nothing went wrong, nor could he risk waiting until after the Mordo problem was solved to try and find the answer in the Sanctum’s books.

 

He could have portalled into the library, but he walked, for more reasons than one. The first was that it really, really wasn’t  _ that  _ far to the Sanctum’s library from where he’d portalled himself in. The second was the rule against conjuring gateways and portals in the library- Stephen needed Wong’s help, not for him to be angry at Stephen. The final reason was that he wasn’t sure if his magic would hold out long enough for another portal; he could end up getting sliced in half if it closed on him.

 

He entered the library to hear the faint sounds of music- Beyoncé, as far as Stephen could tell- which meant Wong was there, earbuds in as usual. He really regretted letting Tony take Wong to that Beyoncé concert…

 

“Wong!” Stephen yelled, and a second later he heard the rustle of papers as a book was closed.

 

“Stephen?”

 

Stephen walked past one of the bookshelves to find Wong sitting at his desk, one earbud in, one out. He gave him a friendly smile, finding that he was happy to see his sorcerer friend despite his concerns about his magic, and the butterflies.

 

“I need something sorted out,” Stephen began, and Wong let out a small laugh.

 

“I’ve been trying to tell you that for years.”

 

“Now is not the time for jokes,” Stephen hissed, but he was fighting back a smile at Wong’s words.

 

Wong’s smile disappeared. “Mordo?”

 

“He’s not the only problem.”

 

“I don’t know of any spells powerful enough to defeat him,” Wong said, not seeming to notice what Stephen had said. “And believe me, I’ve been searching.”

 

“So have I. I believe the answer could be in the same books he’s studied; the ones regarding vacuum spells.”

 

“Vacuum spells?” Wong sounded surprised. “That’s advanced magic. It’s in the same texts the Ancient One banned, her personal texts.”

 

“So how did Mordo get to it?”

 

“You’re sure he did?”

 

“Tony showed me video surveillance of him. It was definitely a vacuum spell; he sucked the magic clean out of the other sorcerer.” Stephen’s expression was troubled. “It’s advanced magic, that’s for sure.”

 

“Very advanced,” Wong agreed, sounding even more bothered by this than Stephen was. “The Ancient One herself rarely even attempted it.”

 

“But she used it?” Stephen asked, though after finding out she drew her power from the dark dimension, all those years back, he wasn’t sure why he was surprised.

 

“Only a rare few times, to stop sorcerers who went rogue, like Mordo. But most of them used spells that simply disabled the power of other sorcerers. Then she’d use a simple redistribution spell to send the stolen power back to any sorcerers who had been affected by whomever went rogue.”

 

Stephen nodded. “That makes sense.”

 

“You didn’t come here to talk about Mordo, though, did you?” Wong said suddenly, and Stephen remembered the butterflies, and his failing magic.

 

“You’re right,” Stephen agreed, with another nod. “I came here because I don’t know if I’ll be able to fight him. I’ve got… a problem.”

 

Wong raised an eyebrow. “What kind of problem?”

 

Stephen held out his hands. “Butterflies. They keep bursting from my palms and my fingertips. I don’t know  _ why  _ they do, but they do. I’m not casting a single spell.”

 

“And this bothers you?” Wong asked, looking a little confused, but there was a twinkle in his eye, as if he were holding back laughter.

 

“No. No, the butterflies wouldn’t bother me at all if it weren’t for the fact that it’s affecting my magic. I opened a portal to get here and it nearly snapped shut on me. I could have been sliced clean in two.”

 

This time, Wong did burst out laughing. At Stephen’s glare, he shook his head frantically. “Sorry, Sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing…”

 

“Of course you shouldn’t! I could have died!”

 

“It’s just… you really don’t know what’s happening?”

 

Stephen shook his head, and Wong started laughing again. “And here I was thinking you had every book in here memorised! It shouldn’t take you long to find the book with it in.”

 

“You’re not going to help me?” 

 

“You’ll find it soon enough. Now shoo. You’re interrupting Beyoncé.”

 

Stephen stifled a laugh at this, despite his annoyance at his fellow sorcerer. “Fine. I’ll do it myself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot is coming in hard n fast, kiddos.


	4. Four: Mordo’s on the move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mordo’s headed for the Compound. Stephen really sinks his teeth into the knowledge at the Sanctum, rushing to try and find an answer.

Stephen gathered up a large pile of books from various places around the Sanctum’s library, covering a vast array of magical topics from the healing properties of certain trees to how to ensnare a demon. With a sigh, he settled down to read, opening the first of many books.

 

He’d barely even made it through the first chapter when his comms crackled online. It was a call from Tony, as if it would be from anyone else.

 

“Hey, Dumbledore. Care to explain why I found your room in the Compound empty this morning?”

 

“I have to find a solution for our Mordo problem,” Stephen replied icily, turning the page of the book.

 

“You also need rest, like a normal human being,” came Tony’s voice, sounding a little exasperated, and Stephen let a small, fond smile slip onto his lips with the knowledge that Tony couldn’t see him.

 

“I assure you, I am rested enough, Stark.”

 

“Don’t tell me you did some sort of spell to make yourself feel awake and rested.”

 

“No, actually-”

 

“Stop, Stop,” Tony said, cutting him off, and Stephen could imagine him raising his hands as he spoke to stop him. “I don’t want to hear it. Don’t make me yell at you.”

 

Stephen’s smile grew wider. “So you  _ do  _ care about me, Stark.”

 

“I thought that was evident when I insisted you get some rest yesterday,” Tony said dryly.

 

“I just thought you didn’t want your only hope at defeating Mordo to die on you.”

 

“Yeah, that too.” Then Tony’s tone grew serious. “He’s on the move, by the way.”

 

“Mordo?”

 

“Who else?” Tony let out a small sigh. “We’re worried. He seems to be headed in the direction of the Compound.”

 

“Let me know if he gets too close for comfort,” Stephen said, voice grim. “At the very least I could probably repurpose one of the demon ensnaring spells to catch him.”

 

“ _ Demon what _ ?” Tony asked, spluttering a little.

 

“Demon ensnaring,” Stephen repeated. “For capturing rogue demons.”

 

“I don’t even want to  _ ask  _ why that’s a thing. I’ll contact you the moment Mordo seems to be an imminent threat.”

 

“Alright. Bye, Stark.”

 

“Goodbye, Harry Potter.”

 

“Stop it with the wizard jokes,” Stephen hissed, then ended the call. He swore he could have heard Tony laughing just before it cut off. He shook his head slightly as he returned to the book he was reading, and jumped as he spotted Wong standing just beside him.

 

“What do you want?” Stephen asked, slightly irritable since he hadn’t helped him with his magical problem.

 

“Mordo’s on the move toward the Compound?”

 

Stephen winced; of course Wong had overheard his and Tony’s conversation. “Yes. He’s not a threat to them yet.”

 

“But he could be.” Wong turned and began to pull books from the shelves. “I’ll start searching for spells, too.”

 

“Thanks,” Stephen said, then hesitated before adding, “Do you think he could use the vacuum spell on Thor? Or mutated people like Bruce or Peter or Carol?”

 

Wong met his gaze carefully. “I’m not sure. But it’s likely.”

 

Stephen’s heart dropped. “He could rid the world of the Avengers. Interdimensional threats could find their way here!”

 

“Let’s not rush to conclusions,” Wong said. “And let’s hope that he can’t.”

 

Stephen nodded, but it was a nervous nod. “Let’s hope. Otherwise something  _ worse  _ than Dormammu or Thanos could make its way here.”

 

Wong, too, looked nervous. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

 

Stephen turned back to the book. He flicked through the pages, past spells to fight off cheese demons (don’t ask), spells to summon flaming alpacas (again, don’t ask) and protective spells. Some were basic magic, others so advanced that Stephen doubted even the Ancient One herself would attempt them.

 

Hours flew by. He finished book after book, scouring them for information, for any kind of spell that could help him either defeat Mordo or stop the butterflies. Over this time, the butterflies began to burst more and more frequently from his hands, an array of colours and shapes and sizes.

 

A few books he set aside, carefully marking the pages that had spells that he could maybe rework, repurpose to help in Mordo’s defeat, but nothing that would stop him for certain.

 

Nearly five hours had passed when his comms clicked online again. Stephen hurried to answer, bile rising in his throat. Was Mordo at the Compound? Was he going to have to try and fight the other sorcerer in his weakened, almost magicless state?

 

“He’s here! Thor’s managing to hold him off for now, but we could sure use some help, Dumbledore!” The distant sounds of a battle met Stephen’s ears, and he abandoned the book he’d been reading to open a portal.

 

It was more unstable looking and weaker than the one he’d opened earlier, but he put on a brave front. If he were to try and go to the Compound another way, he could be too late.

 

“I’m on my way.”

 

“Well hurry up! We’re about to get our asses kicked!”

 

“I’m coming as quickly as I can, Stark, but my magic isn’t exactly cooperating!”

 

Stephen heard the sound of Tony’s mask snapping down over his face. “What do you mean? You’re the goddamn wizard here!”

 

“I was trying to tell you!” Stephen yelled back, struggling to open the portal. It finally snapped open, and Stephen dove through, it snapping shut right behind him, dangerously close to slicing his foot off.

 

Back in the Sanctum, the gust of wind from the force of the portal closing caused the pages of the book Stephen had been reading to turn, turn, turn.

 

They settled open at a page, ahead of where Stephen had been up to, visible to the world. A single line of text across the top showed what it was about, and pictures and more text littered the page, drowning it in information.

 

_ Bursting Butterflies Disease. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God plot is leaking in every chapter now...


	5. Five: Mordo, elemental master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen and the Avengers try to defend the Compound

Stephen stumbled to his feet, having dove through the portal, and didn’t even spare a thought for how weak his magic had seemed. Right now, he needed to worry about Mordo. Perhaps even trap him in the mirror dimension until he could deal with him properly.

 

“Tony!” he yelled, trying to locate him, but he was met with silence. He could hear distant explosions, and the whir of machinery. He stumbled forwards, thankful that he’d portalled into the hallways of the Compound, and not one of the rooms that FRIDAY would have locked down the moment the battle started.

 

“Tony!” he called again, trying to flick his comms back online but receiving no answer. Panic began to set in, and he tried to move faster, a little disoriented from the bad portal trip he’d taken moments before.

 

“ANTHONY EDWARD STARK!!!” Stephen yelled, still stumbling down the winding hallways of the Compound, knowing how much the man  _ hated  _ his full name. Still nothing.

 

Stephen forced himself to move faster again, and let out a sigh as he spotted the entry to the Compound. He pushed himself to move faster upon seeing it, rushing over to yank the door open and run out into the street.

 

“TONY!” he yelled, trying his comms again; they finally crackled online, and Stephen let out a small sigh of relief before the voice on the other end spoke.

 

“The battle’s shifted to the next street over. Good to know you’re coming, Doctor Strange.”

 

“I’ll be right over, Sam,” Stephen replied, heart thumping in his chest. He resisted the urge to ask if Tony was okay; he feared the answer he could get given. Instead, he just hurried down the street and over to the next as quickly as he could.

 

The sight that met his eyes was as followed; Mordo was a whirlwind of power, using the specialities of all the sorcerers whose powers he’d stolen. Thor was conjuring up a storm, not that it was doing a lot against Mordo. Peter was hanging back on the fringes, pulling civilians to safety and aiding in the fight where he could. Sam was darting in and out, flying in on his mech falcon wings and using Cap’s shield- now his- as a makeshift weapon, trying to make a dint in Mordo’s magic.

 

Natasha was doing what she could to aid the fight, while also helping Peter get the civilians out. Carol was ramming the whirlwind of power surrounding Mordo, her own magical abilities ablaze as she did so. Bruce had Hulked out, and was throwing numerous things in the direction of Mordo. Rhodey was there too, shooting at Mordo from a distance. Covering his back was…  _ Tony. _

 

Stephen let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding at the sight of the familiar red and gold armour. Then Thor spotted him, and grinned wide.

 

“He has arrived!”

 

“You have, Strange?” came Sam’s voice through the comms again. Stephen just raised an eyebrow.

 

“Unless I’m watching some illusion of you slamming your shield against Mordo’s magical whirlwind, then yes, I’m here.”

 

“Well would you mind lending us a hand? You’re the magical expert here.”

 

“Right, right,” Stephen replied, taking a moment to analyse the spells Mordo was using. The rogue sorcerer was channeling elemental power, fire and earth and water swirling around with the aid of a hurricane of wind. It was a deadly combo, and Stephen quickly registered that there were only two ways to shut it down.

 

The first way, and the most obvious, was to cut it off at the source; Mordo. But with Stephen’s weakened magic, and the very whirlwind of power they wanted to stop defending Mordo, that option was out of the question.

 

The second way was to try and perform a vacuum, or a magic disabling spell. The vacuum spell was harder but would be more effective, whereas a magic disabling spell could easily be reversed by another sorcerer. Stephen knew it would be too dangerous for him to attempt a vacuum spell at the moment; until he sorted out the butterfly issue, his magic wouldn’t be strong enough for such a spell.

 

Stephen’s comm with Tony crackled back online. “Sorry, Strange. My comms went offline for a moment.”

 

“That’d be Mordo’s magical interference,” Stephen said slowly, internally sighing in relief as he heard Tony’s voice once more. It was verbal proof that Tony was okay, alongside what his eyes had told him moments before.

 

“You got any clue how to shut this thing down?” Tony asked, and Stephen heard the noise of his repulsor through the comms. “Without draining yourself, of course.”

 

“Possibly. So long as it works, then yes.”

 

“That’s not convincing or reassuring but we’re out of options, Dumbledore, so be my guest.”

 

Stephen slowly exhaled, then began to run through the motions of the spell. After a moment, it seemed to be working; Mordo’s magic was faltering. Then a butterfly burst from Stephen’s palm, and the spell weakened.

 

Stephen’s eyes narrowed as he focused. The spell was almost done. If he could just-

 

Another butterfly burst from his hands, and the spell he’d been casting crumbled completely. Mordo turned, and Stephen could see him grin even through the whirling elemental hurricane around him.

 

“Stephen Strange!” Mordo’s voice seemed to be everywhere, echoing from around him and ringing inside of Stephen’s head. “How nice to see you again!”

 

“Wish I could say the same about you, Mordo,” Stephen yelled back, and Mordo’s grin seemed to widen.

 

“Not so powerful now, are we?” Mordo rose off the ground slightly, hovering midair. “And the Ancient One believer you were the best of us.”

 

“I can still beat you,” Stephen said quietly, and Mordo just grinned like he’d heard. Stephen continued with, “After Dormammu and Thanos, you’re just the next minor threat for me to take down.”

 

Mordo’s eyes narrowed. “You’re going to regret that.”

 

Then Mordo’s hands began to move at a rapid pace, casting a spell Stephen couldn’t place; he began to weakly try and summon shields to defend himself, but he was too slow, his magic too drained.

 

A lightning bolt hit him square in the chest, knocking him backwards, followed by a flurry of fire and rock. The world seemed to tilt and twist around him. He could briefly hear Tony yelling his name through the comms as he came crashing down to the ground, and the world turned black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter actually didn’t go quite the same as I’d originally planned. Tony was meant to show more concern for Stephen and not the other way around, but the good thing about planning a full chaptered fic is that you can still change some stuff. It’s flexible and fun and I have certain scenes and plot points that I know EXACTLY how they’re gonna go down and other parts that I don’t know how they’re gonna turn out until I start writing, kind of like this chapter. Anyways, halfway through!!! We’re really heading into plot-ville now.


	6. Six: Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen finally gets some answers.

“Stephen. Stephen. Weakest sorcerer on planet earth.”

 

Stephen’s eyes snapped open at this. “First of all, how dare you-”

 

“Ah, so you’re not dead.” Wong turned away, looking almost disappointed to see his friend still breathing. “Tony and the other Avengers seemed to think you were, for some reason.”

 

Stephen bolted upright on the bed he’d been lying on to find he was in his room in the Sanctum. “I need to see them. At least Tony. He’ll… he needs to know I’m okay.”

 

“I’ll portal you over later,” Wong said, not looking away from the book he’d opened and probably began reading. “You’re much too weak to perform magic yourself.”

 

“Well maybe I wouldn’t be if-” Stephen was cut off as two butterflies burst from his hands, gold and red. “-You told me  _ why  _ these are bursting from my hands and  _ how  _ to fix it.”

 

Wong sighed, and rolled his eyes. “You really haven’t found it by now? You really  _ are  _ the weakest sorcerer on the planet.”

 

“Hey, stop it. I get enough shit like this from Tony, and I don’t need it from you.️”

 

Wong shot Stephen a shit-eating grin. “Not my fault you can’t find the answer to a basic, common magical disease.”

 

“It’s  _ common _ ?” Stephen asked in an incredulous tone, and Wong nodded.

 

“More common than Hanahaki, anyway.”

 

“That disease is  _ fictional _ !”

 

“Sorcerers are fictional.”

 

Stephen held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Can you just tell me where to find the answer?”

 

Wong turned around to shove the same book Stephen had been reading before the Mordo fight into his hands. “It's here. You’ll know it when you see it.”

 

“But I… I was reading through this before going to defend the Compound,” Stephen said slowly, confused. 

 

“You obviously didn’t get all the way through,” Wong replied, already having returned to his book. Stephen rolled his eyes at the other sorcerer.

 

“Fine. I’ll take another look.”

 

It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. He reread the title over and over, burning the name of the disease into his brain before moving on.

 

_ Bursting Butterflies Disease. _

 

His hands were shaking more than usual as he ran them down the pages, reading, reading, reading. There were explanations on why it occurred, and how it worked, and its consequences. Pages upon pages of information upon this disease; statistics that proved how common it really was.

 

He skimmed through it, just taking in the important parts.

 

_ Affects one in every five sorcerers at least once in their lifetime. _

 

_ Has rendered even the most powerful of sorcerers defenceless. _

 

_ Makes the butterflies from your personal store of magic, until that runs out; then it begins to use your very essence; the parts of your body. _

 

_ Occurs when a sorcerer fails to admit his/her/their love to someone. _

 

_ In rare cases it has been known to be fatal. _

 

_ The way it works; the buildup of magical energy in the body, the pent up “love”, transfers into something physical; in this case, butterflies. After a bit, the butterflies begin to feed off the sorcerer’s magic itself in order to keep creating more and more. _

 

_ All butterflies will stay alive after the sorcerer admits his/her/their love, but the magic they have taken from the sorcerer will be returned. _

 

Stephen leaned back, running his hands through his hair as he exhaled. He didn’t understand it; he wasn’t in love. Was he? He skimmed the pages again, looking for further explanation.

 

Then his eyes fell on a single line, and the breath left his lungs.

 

_ These butterflies will follow around the person that the sorcerer is in love with. _

 

He sucked in a breath. The butterflies had been following  _ Tony _ .

 

And sure, Stephen found him attractive. But in love with him? He took a moment to think. About how Tony made him feel. About how worried he was when he didn’t hear back from Tony through the comms.

 

Oh god, he  _ was  _ in love with him.

 

One of the lines in the text haunted him, made his breath catch whenever he thought of it. It almost made him want to scream in frustration right then and there.

 

_ The only way to cure this disease is to admit your love to that person. _

 

Finally, with a sigh, Stephen closed the book. From there he turned to Wong’s wearily tapping him on the shoulder. The other sorcerer turned from his book, carefully placing a bookmark in it.

 

“I have to… find Stark.”

 

“To admit your love, right?” Wong said, and at Stephen’s startled look he laughed. “You thought I didn’t know?”

 

“I didn’t even know until just now!”

 

Wong facepalmed; like actually, literally facepalmed. “You’re so  _ oblivious _ .”

 

Stephen punched Wong in the shoulder, but it wasn’t to actually try and hurt him. “I’m doing this to get my magic back.”

 

“Because if it was up to you, you’d never tell him and then get mad when he ends up dating someone else and would rant about it to me, correct?”

 

Stephen rolled his eyes at Wong. “I’m sure he doesn’t feel the same about me.”

 

“And I’m sure you’re wrong. Now come on, I’ll portal you to the Compound.”

 

Stephen’s chest felt tight. “Wait- can we just- maybe the book says something else-”

 

Wong grabbed Stephen firmly round the wrist and opened a portal. “ _ Now _ .”

 

Stephen was spluttering and blushing red as Wong dragged him through and into the Compound, dumping him unceremoniously on the floor (right at Tony’s feet) before stepped back through and snapping the portal shut behind him.

 

Tony looked down at Stephen, and smiled. “Oh, good. You’re okay. And it’s a good thing you’re here. Mordo’s headed towards a children’s hospital.”

 

Stephen didn’t think he’d ever let out such a loud groan in his entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was long overdue... oops! Anyway, here we go, bing bam boom plot is in the room.


	7. Seven: Hospital Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers face Mordo for a second time

Tony had piled all of them into one of his Stark Jets, to get them there “before Mordo can stab a newborn”. Stephen wasn’t particularly happy about this, since there really wasn’t room for all of them and he  _ really  _ didn’t like having to sit right next to Carol; he was worried he’d say something to offend her and that she’d blast his head clean off.

 

He was immediately happier with the arrangement when Tony took the seat by his other side, since Happy had insisted that an actual pilot fly the plan, and not Stark. He knew he should admit his love to Tony  _ now _ , while there was still time, but he didn’t want to in front of all the other Avengers.

 

Instead, he just joined in the strategy planning that was occurring as they travelled. Carol glared at him anytime he spoke, but he tried to ignore it as best he could.

 

“We have to surround him,” Sam said, jolting Stephen from his thoughts. “He can’t attack us all at once.”

 

“Actually, he can,” Stephen put in, voice grim. “You saw the elemental whirlwind he made at the Compound the other day.”

 

“But you can shut it down, right?” Tony said, casting a worried glance at the sorcerer. Stephen cast his gaze downward, at the plane’s floor.

 

“I… I don’t know. My magic has been… hindered.”

 

“By Mordo?”

 

Stephen didn’t like to lie, but he nodded. He didn’t really want to have to explain the butterflies disease to them all right now, especially not when he wanted to get a chance to tell Tony how much he cared for him in private.

 

Beside him, Carol balled her hands into fists. “I’ll kill the bastard myself if I have to.”

 

Stephen blinked in surprise. This was the first time she’d ever shown any sign of caring at all about Stephen.

 

“There’s another thing,” Stephen said slowly, dreading what he was about to say. “Mordo uses vacuum spells to take a sorcerer’s magic. Wong and I… we worry that he might be able to do the same to you guys. Drain Thor’s control over lightning. Take Peter’s Spidey-Senses… and maybe even suck away Carol’s power.”

 

Stephen heard Tony suck in a breath from beside him. “Let’s hope you and Wong are wrong, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Stephen mumbled, gaze on the ground. “Let’s hope.”

 

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, and at some point Tony’s hand found his for a few moments, just long enough to give it a reassuring squeeze and for Stephen to look up and see a smile on Tony’s face to match. He appreciated the genius trying to make him feel better about going into this fight, but he knew that unless he told Tony how he felt, some of them might not come out of this alive.

 

The moment the plane touched down by the hospital, the other Avengers began to quickly get out, Stephen stepped in front of Tony, a silent way of telling him to wait. Tony gave him the briefest nod, getting the message, and he called out to Sam.

 

“You guys head on! We’ll be out in a moment!”

 

Sam nodded, and began to lead the others towards the hospital, which Stephen could just see was getting torn apart by a similar whirlwind to the other day. As he met Tony’s gaze, Stephen felt his throat go dry.

 

“I, uh…” Stephen swallowed, and tried again. “Mordo isn’t why my magic isn’t working properly.”

 

“Oh?” Tony raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t mention this before because…?”

 

“It’s a little… embarrassing, I guess,” Stephen replied carefully. “See, it’s this common disease… it’s what’s hindering my magic.”

 

Tony looked like he was about to reply when an explosion from the direction of the hospital shook the plane violently. Tony and Stephen exchanged a look.

 

“Can it wait?” Tony asked him quickly.

 

Stephen nodded. “It can wait.”

 

It really couldn’t, but there wasn’t the time. If they took any longer, children could die. Children could have  _ already  _ died while Stephen and Tony stood there talking. The two of them quickly left the plane, and began to sprint towards the half destroyed hospital.

 

Natasha and Peter had taken up herding the civilians away, as they had the last time, except Peter was swinging in to actively grab children and pull them away from the battle. Stephen set his jaw as he spotted Mordo; butterflies disease or not, he’d stop this mad sorcerer once and for all.

 

“Mordo!” 

 

“Get back!” Tony hissed, trying to tug Stephen behind a piece of broken building, but it was too late. The sorcerer creating the whirlwind turned, his gaze locking on Stephen.

 

“Ah, Doctor Stephen Strange, we meet again.”

 

“This time I’ll defeat you,” Stephen spat in his direction.

 

“Not even a nice greeting? After all, we do know each other. We’re friends.”

 

“A sorcerer who thinks only of himself is  _ not  _ my friend,” Stephen hissed.

 

Mordo laughed. “Alright, take your best shot then!”

 

The whirlwind stopped completely and Mordo stood, arms open, completely defenceless. Stephen stared for a moment, stunned; why would Mordo leave himself defenceless like this?

 

Mordo frowned as a few moments passed. “Come on, Stephen. I thought you were a sorcerer.”

 

Stephen glanced at Tony, who was still crouched behind the bit of debris with his eyes stretched wide. The genius gave Stephen the smallest nod, and then jerked his head in the direction of Mordo.

 

Stephen took a deep breath, then raised his hands, ready to cast a spell. Instead, several butterflies burst from his palms, and Mordo laughed.

 

“So a common love disease has stopped the greatest sorcerer of our nation. What a pity.”

 

And before Stephen could even react Mordo was hurling a knife across the battleground, and then the knife had buried itself up to its hilt in Stephen’s stomach. And there was blood, so much blood, pooling from the wound, and the world was going black, black, black.

 

Stephen could dimly hear Tony yelling his name, could hear the genius scrambling towards him, but the world was fading and he was gone, slipping into the inky darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Stephen... this fic’s just morphed into me hurting him and I’m sorry...
> 
> On the plus side, three chapters to go!!!


	8. Eight: Shuri and her newest white boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen gets fixed up in Wakanda

It was all a blur, and he didn’t mean a blur as in it was fast. No, he meant a blur as in literal blurred vision, tinged with black and red. He could dimly recognise the Compound’s medbay, at first, but the moments he could remember there were few. 

 

He evidently hasn’t stayed there long, and he had dim memories of a jet, then of being wheeled into an odd lab, unlike any he’d ever seen. The glimpses of tech that he could remember seeing were advanced, far beyond anything he’d ever seen, even from Tony.

 

Then, nothing. 

 

A big patch of blank, where all he could remember was the feeling of peace, and the inky darkness of sleep. When he finally did awaken, he was disoriented, unsure of where he was and what had happened.

 

He was a rational thinker, however, and slowly sat up, wincing a little as stiff muscles were stretched by his movements. He cast his gaze around the odd, unfamiliar lab and was startled to lock gazes with a teenage girl.

 

She didn’t look happy to see him awake, but she didn’t look mad, either. The look on her face seemed to imply that Stephen had wasted her time, and the words she spoke just implied that further.

 

“Good, you’re awake.” The boredom in her tone was obvious, and Stephen simply stared at her.

 

“Where am I?”

 

The girl let out a snort, as if she couldn’t believe he was really asking her that question. “Wakanda, of course.”

 

“Wakanda… like King T’Challa’s Wakanda?” Stephen was moving slowly as he spoke, easing himself onto his feet, and the teenager nodded.

 

“What other Wakanda is there?” The girl turned to a holographic monitor before her and Stephen winced as its blue glow hit his eyes.

 

“That’s some advanced tech you’ve got there. Puts Tony Stark to shame.”

 

This earned Stephen a laugh from her. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased to have been outdone by a teenage girl.”

 

“Ah, he’d be impressed,” Stephen replied truthfully. “You can see how impressed he is when Peter manages to outsmart him.”

 

The girl turned suddenly. “Peter as in Peter Parker?”

 

“You guys have met?” Stephen’s head began to ache a little. He didn’t even know this teenage girl, hadn’t even truly believed Wakanda was this advanced, and now that he was here he finds out Peter and this girl are… friends?

 

“A couple of times,” the girl said with a shrug. “He might have mentioned me. I’m Shuri, if you didn’t realise already.”

 

_ Shuri _ .

 

Now Stephen knew who she was; yes, Peter had mentioned her before, in passing. But she wasn’t just some friend of Peter’s. She was the Princess, T’Challa’s sister.

 

Stephen wasn’t one to get awestruck by this information, though. Instead, he set about trying to recollect his thoughts and memories. As the fight slowly came back to him, his hands fell over the stab wound- or, rather, where the stab would  _ should  _ have been.

 

He let out a low whistle. “Wow. Wakanda’s tech isn’t the only impressive thing- the medicinal side is incredible.”

 

“You were out for six hours,” Shuri informed Stephen, and he just nodded slowly.

 

“You healed a stab wound in six hours. Fascinating.”

 

Shuri turned from her screen to look at Stephen. “You sound as if you know something about medicine.”

 

“I used to be a doctor. A surgeon, actually. One of the best.” Stephen then paused. “Where is Tony, and the others?”

 

“After he dropped you here, he went back to try and contain Mordo.” Shuri tapped something on her holographic screen, and seemingly endless paragraphs of information hovered in the air before Stephen. “Apparently Thor is no longer going to be able to help the Avengers.”

 

“He’s… dead?”

 

“Worse,” Shuri replied grimly. “He no longer has his godly powers.”

 

Stephen nearly collapsed then and there in shock. “Wong was right…” he murmured, then pulled himself together. “I have to help them.”

 

“You barely survived that wound, what you need is rest.”

 

“They don’t stand a chance without a sorcerer!” As Stephen spoke, several butterflies burst from his hands, darting out of the lab as soon as they could.

 

Shuri let out a sigh. “Stark will be returning tomorrow. In the meantime, my brother has told me to tell you that you may do as you please here in Wakanda. The only places off-limits to you are the palace, the private labs, and any places of importance to Wakanda’s safety, such as the control towers for the barrier.”

 

Stephen looked around the lab for a moment, then let out a sigh of his own. “Alright. But if Tony isn’t here tomorrow, I’ll be finding my own way back to New York.”

 

Shuri laughed. “I’d expect no less. Now go on, shoo! Get out of my lab. The exit is that way.”

 

Shuri pointed across the lab, and Stephen nodded, turning in that direction. “Thank you. For healing me.”

 

Shuri just gave him the glimpse of a smile. “No problem, white boy.”

 

Stephen very nearly snorted at this, but caught himself just in time. “I’ll get out of your lab now.”

 

Shuri just gave him a dismissive wave as she turned back to her monitor, lost in the tech once again. Stephen just smiled to himself, shook his head slightly and began to make his way out. He liked Shuri, he decided.

 

She reminded him of Peter. And Peter… Well, Peter reminded him of Tony.

 

As if on cue, a pale yellow butterfly burst from Stephen’s palm and fluttered away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s not stated but the wound was too much for Tony or Bruce to heal in the Compound’s medbay, which is why Stephen wound up in Wakanda :)
> 
> Anyway, two more chapters after this til the fic’s end!!! I’m excited- are you all excited???


	9. Nine: A King and a plane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen properly meets T’Challa, then heads on a flight home with Tony.

The first thought that registered in Stephen’s mind when he got out of Shuri’s lab and onto the streets of Wakanda was pure, unbridled awe. He’d seen Wakanda briefly during the battle against Thanos, but he hadn’t exactly had the chance to admire it, since he’d been pretty busy helping gather up troops.

 

It was a technological marvel, weird, wondrous and beautiful sights everywhere he looked. Buildings impossibly tall, and gleaming black and silver. Small homes inlaid with more technology than even the Avengers Compound had.

 

Locals wearing clothing that shifted at will, bracelets with communication devices far advanced beyond anything Stephen had ever seen. And, of course, the biggest, most impressive thing of all; the barrier that covered the whole of Wakanda.

 

It was barely visible to the naked eye, and Stephen knew it could disguise Wakanda at will, hide it from view completely. Stephen wasn’t one to care much for technology, but this still took his breath away.

 

The medical side of it had impressed him, how easily they’d healed his stab wound, but now he saw how life-changing this technology truly could be. He also saw why Wakanda was so reluctant to share it, but he knew that if they did, the impact would be huge.

 

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

 

Stephen turned, and smiled as he spotted Shuri at his side. “I thought you wanted me out of your hair.”

 

“And leave you without a tour?” Shuri gave him a look. “Besides, my brother wants to meet you.”

 

“Your brother… as in the King?” Stephen’s mouth and throat went dry, and Shuri laughed at his expression.

 

“Who else? Come on, he won’t bite.”

 

Stephen just nodded dumbly, and followed behind Shuri as she led him through Wakanda. She pointed out landmarks as they went, and even went into detail behind the technology on a few occasions. At one point she began to talk for a very long time on the technology of a certain tower, then caught herself and bashfully explained she’d worked on that building herself.

 

Wakanda was more impressive the more of it Stephen saw, and the moment the palace came into view, all the breath was driven from Stephen’s chest. It was magnificent, gleaming, and full of technological advances and architectural designs that seemed impossible.

 

The King himself stood by the entrance, and he broke out smiling the moment he spotted Stephen and Shuri. He walked towards them, and Stephen felt incredibly self-conscious in that moment.

 

“Ah, little sister! And you must be our guest, Stephen Strange.”

 

It took Stephen a moment to find his voice. “Yes. A pleasure to properly meet you.”

 

The King laughed. “And on much nicer terms. Oh, and please call me T’Challa.”

 

Shuri leaned over to whisper into Stephen’s ear, “He’s stopping you before you can call him ‘Your Majesty’ or something equally stupid.”

 

Stephen nearly began to argue that addressing a King in such a way was  _ not  _ stupid, but stopped himself; he had a feeling if he did argue with her, he would have just proved her point. Instead, he just addressed T’Challa again.

 

“You wanted to meet me, I heard,” Stephen said with a sideways glance at Shuri.

 

“I thought it would be nice, before you fly back.” T’Challa gestures behind Stephen, who turned to spot a very fancy, very obviously Wakandan plane that he hadn’t seen before.

 

“I thought I was returning tomorrow.”

 

“That was the plan,” T’Challa said. “Then Tony Stark called for a plane to pick him up so he could come collect you. Apparently Mordo’s getting out of control. It’s all over the news.”

 

Stephen stared at him for a long moment. “...Shit.”

 

“Yeah, it’s not good,” Shuri chimed in. “Anyway, say goodbye to Wakanda, get on the plane, never come back, bye.”

 

“Shuri!” T’Challa hissed, but Stephen had already spotted the playful gleam in Shuri’s eyes.

 

“Will do, Princess,” Stephen said in reply, with a mock bow. Shuri burst out laughing, and T’Challa looked between the two of them, clearly confused.

 

“Alright then. I hope to see you again sometime, Stephen Strange.”

 

“Likewise,” Stephen said. “And hopefully I don’t have to rush off like this again.”

 

T’Challa smiled. “Go on. You’ve got people to save, according to Tony.”

 

Stephen smiled back, then made his way over to the plane. The door of it opened for him, and he climbed inside to be met by Tony, who looked quite frantic.

 

“Mordo’s worse than we thought. He’s taken out Thor, Peter and Bruce. We’re running out of time.”

 

“He took all of their abilities?” Stephen’s voice was steady, as was his gaze as it met Tony’s own.

 

“All of them,” Tony confirmed. Stephen quickly took a seat in the plane, and Tony sat down next to him. As the engine began to start up, Stephen realised what he had to do.

 

He didn’t do it then, though. He waited until they were nearly back to New York before turning to the man next to him, and taking a deep breath.

 

“Tony,” he began. “Remember the… disease I have?”

 

Tony frowned. “Yeah. Did you cure it or something?”

 

Stephen exhaled slowly. He couldn’t back out now. “No. To cure it I… I need to tell you something.”

 

Tony just looked at him. “It’s that simple?”

 

_ It’s not simple at all. _

 

Stephen took another breath. “Tony. I’m in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter to go!!! This one was a little shorter but chapter ten is probably going to be quite long... eek I can’t wait!


	10. Ten: Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen and Mordo face off for a final time

The words had only just left his mouth when an explosion tore through the sky, rattling and shaking the plane violently. Tony’s expression morphed from one of shock to that of a leader, determination showing in every line of his face. Stephen found himself ready to follow Tony’s lead, instinctively recognising that he was the one to listen to in this situation.

 

“You’ve got your powers again, right?”

 

Stephen nodded quickly, ignoring the fact that it hurt a little to not know how Tony felt in response; that didn’t matter at that moment. What mattered was making it out of this alive.

 

“Then you might want to portal us out of this damn plane.”

 

Stephen nodded again, this time with a small smile. “Sure thing.”

 

Stephen went through the motions to open a portal, and was almost surprised when it actually worked- and was it his imagination or had it opened faster than usual…? Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Stephen pushed Tony towards the portal, then followed him through. 

 

The two of them stepped out onto the ground, and that was when Stephen realised something. “Tony. What happened to the butterflies?”

 

“I got sick of them following me around so I got greenhouse specially built and trapped them in there. Don’t worry, they’re safe.”

 

“I wasn’t  _ worried _ ,” Stephen retorted. “I was just  _ curious _ .”

 

“Uh huh.” Tony gave him a disbelieving look. Stephen could have leaned over and slapped him, then, or maybe even punched him for good measure, but he knew bigger things were at stake here. They needed to focus on defeating Mordo, not get into a fight over some damned magical butterflies.

 

Then it hit him. Why try learning a completely new spell when he could use the spells Mordo kept using against him?

 

“Tony,” Stephen said slowly. “I think I just worked out how to defeat our magical friend.”

 

Tony turned to him, eyes wide. “You’re sure?”

 

“It could work. Or the spell could quite literally tear me apart.”

 

Tony was silent for a moment, and then he slowly met Stephen’s gaze. “And you’re not afraid of dying?”

 

Stephen flashed Tony a grin at this. “I died hundreds of times fighting off Dormammu to protect earth a good few years ago. Death doesn’t scare me nearly as much now as it used to.”

 

Tony fell silent again, then offered Stephen a smile that was obviously forced. “Well then, you’ve got a sorcerer to stop.”

 

“And powers to return and a world to save,” Stephen added with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Then he turned to open a portal, and just as it snapped into view, Tony called out to him.

 

“Wait!”

 

Stephen turned, and Tony met his gaze. For a moment, there was nothing but the fizzling sound of the portal behind Stephen.

 

“I… just stay safe, okay?”

 

“Can’t make any promises, Stark,” Stephen replied with a small smile before turning and stepping through the portal into the Sanctum, which snapped shut behind him.

 

“Wong?” Stephen’s voice echoed around the Sanctum and received no reply. He could only hope Wong was just out or sleeping or something, and that Mordo hadn’t harmed him in any way.

 

He set about finding the book he needed, making a beeline for the Ancient One’s private texts. From there it was fairly easy for Stephen to locate which contained the vacuum spell, and it didn’t take him long to memorise it.

 

The redistribution spell he would have to use later was a basic spell, one that he’d learned pretty early on in his training. Stephen could only hope that he could actually perform the vacuum spell without being quite literally torn apart so that he would get the chance to redistribute the powers Mordo stole.

 

If he did die removing the powers from Mordo, he could only hope that his death would automatically redistribute the powers. And that some sorcerer smarter and more powerful than him would stop Mordo before he could get this powerful again.

 

Stephen reluctantly turned away from the Sanctum library and opened his comms with Tony. “Where’s Mordo?”

 

“He’s back the Compound,” came Tony’s voice through the comms. “We’re trying to hold him off but he seems hell-bent on destroying the Avengers once and for all.”

 

“I’m on my way.”

 

“And the spell isn’t going to tear you apart?”

 

“Let’s hope not,” Stephen replied as he opened a portal to the Compound. He stepped through and was rewarded with utter chaos; Tony, Nat, Clint and Sam were struggling to hold Mordo off; Carol lay on the ground nearby, knocked out.

 

Stephen had a bad feeling Mordo had just stolen her powers, too. He took a deep breath, then stepped forward into the battlefield, and further into Mordo’s line of sight.

 

“Mordo!” Stephen locked his gaze on the sorcerer, who had created the same elemental whirlwind he seemed so fond of. Mordo turned, spotted Stephen, and the whirlwind dropped.

 

“Stephen Strange! Here to lose once again?”

 

Stephen narrowed his gaze. “This time I’m here to defeat you, and return the powers you stole.”

 

Mordo laughed. “Last I heard, your magic was all gone!”

 

“I don’t need magic to fight you,” Stephen said quietly, and Mordo smiled, having obviously heard. Out the corner of his eye, Stephen could see Tony motioning for the other Avengers to back off.

 

_ He trusts  _ me  _ to handle this. _

 

Stephen took a deep breath, and another pace forward. Mordo’s grin widened, and suddenly a damage spell was slamming full force into Stephen, knocking him backwards and onto the ground harshly. 

 

“Strange! What are you doing?” Tony’s voice betrayed the tiniest bit of panic as it crackled through the comms.

 

“Don’t worry, Stark. I’ve got this.” Stephen got to his feet, wiping blood from a cut on his cheek with the back of his hand. Then he addressed Mordo again. “That all you’ve got?”

 

Mordo’s face twisted into a look of fury. As he began to conjure another spell to send Stephen’s way, Stephen began to move, small, almost undetectable movements, casting a spell that Mordo couldn’t see.

 

Mordo seemed to be basing all his magic on elemental spells, Stephen noted as a stream of fire barrelled towards him. He forced himself not to flinch or move, tensing his muscles to keep himself still.

 

_ God I hope this works. _

 

“Stephen!” Tony’s yell made its way across the battlefield to him mere seconds before the stream of fire hit him.

 

But the fire didn’t burn; instead it was drawn to him, as if it were being sucked into his very being. He was absorbing the spell, and then more magic was being pulled from Mordo towards him, slowly but surely draining Mordo of his power.

 

“No!” Mordo seemed to be desperately trying to stop this, trying to cut off Stephen’s modified vacuum spell, but he couldn’t. It was all over in a few seconds; Mordo stood powerless in the centre of the battlefield and Stephen stood with magic literally sparking at his fingertips.

 

He could finally see the appeal of what Mordo had done; the heightened senses he’d no doubt obtained from Peter, the crackling lightning at his fingertips that was obtained from Thor, the hot magma feeling of the powers of Carol, and the swirling, swirling powers of all those sorcerers Mordo had ever stolen from.

 

It was intoxicating, and made him feel powerful, far more powerful than he’d ever felt. He could see exactly why Mordo would fight to keep these powers. But then his eyes locked on Tony, and the other Avengers, and was reminded of the real reason he’d used the vacuum spell.

 

With a deep breath, Stephen went through the quick, simple motions to trigger the redistribution spell. It was almost like letting out a breath when the powers left him, returning to their original owners. Then Stephen focused on Mordo again, and this time performed the vacuum spell he’d read of in the ancient texts to suck Mordo’s power out of him once again, before the sorcerer had a chance to abuse it again.

 

Mordo just looked utterly defeated, staring wide-eyed at Stephen, as if he couldn’t believe the power of a single sorcerer. Stephen couldn’t stop the smug, proud smile that came across his face as he met Mordo’s gaze.

 

“I defeated Dormammu, and played a hand in stopping Thanos,” Stephen said loudly. “Did you really think I would fail to defeat you?”

 

Mordo was still for a moment. Then he charged at Stephen, taking the sorcerer by shock as he leaped at him, kicking and punching and tearing at any part of Stephen he could reach. After a moment, Stephen managed to throw up a shield spell, knocking Mordo off of him.

 

“Give it up,” came a voice from beside Stephen, and he glanced over to see Tony in his full suit, repulsor aimed right at Mordo’s face. Stephen felt a rush of affection for the man, right before the pain hit him from the blows Mordo had rained on him. He could feel cuts in multiple places, could feel blood slowly dripping into his eye from a cut above there.

 

Carol dropped down behind Mordo. “I’ll take him to the police.”

 

“Thanks,” Stephen said weakly, realising just how drained he was. He felt Tony place a hand on his back, helping steady him, and he felt eternally grateful for this man.

 

“Let’s get you to the Compound medbay,” Tony said slowly, and Stephen head his mask slide up. “You’ve got some not-so-nice injuries.”

 

It took a bit of effort, but Stephen turned to face Tony. “We did it.”

 

Tony smiled a little at this. “We didn’t do much.  _ You _ , however…”

 

A silence fell between them for a moment, both smiling like the idiots they were. Then Tony cleared his throat, and looked more than a little nervous.

 

“Just for the record, I’m glad you didn’t die,” Tony began slowly. “Because otherwise I wouldn’t get to do this.”

 

Then Tony leaned forward and pressed his lips to Stephen’s. It was a soft, tentative kiss that was full of promise, and when Tony drew back all Stephen could do was smile at him.

 

“And I also wouldn’t have gotten to tell you that I love you too,” Tony continued, and Stephen’s smile just widened. He leaned in to give Tony another soft, quick kiss before Tony drew back.

 

“Now let’s get you to the medbay. I can’t have my wizard boyfriend bleeding out now can I?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet I had u in the first half huh
> 
> Anyway it's done!!! It makes me so sad and so happy all at once; this fic was a blast to write and I'm sad to see it end, but so happy that it's done! Very soon I'll get my FrostIron Bingo card, and as you may have seen I started a fic today called Web Swinger (the prologue and the first chapter are both out and I'm as hyped about it as I was for this fic!).
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed reading this fic and that the ending was satisfactory for you all. Thank you for coming on this journey with me :)

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one done, only nine more to go...


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